Wellington From Above

On the ground, Wellington is a trendy, funky, urban city that pulses with the energy of a modern metropolis. From the air, however, the nation’s capital appears as a populated speck when compared to the shoreline spanning both sides of the city.

On a helicopter tour of Wellington, passengers can view the city skyline as it appears from a literal bird’s-eye view. City icons such as the “Beehive” and Te Papa meld with the contours of the bustling harbor, and the city skyline quickly gives way to the expansive waters beneath you. Zoom above sailboats as they race across the bay, or watch as swells move across the Cook Straight before crashing on the rocks of the suburbs.

On tours which fly a bit further from Wellington you’ll pass by sites such as Karori Rock lighthouse. Windswept and remote, this historic light is a symbolic boundary between the confines of the city and the wild coast. Once outside the city, some trips will make a coastal landing at beaches which teem with writhing brown fur seals. Back in the air, the views during these extended tours are unlike any you’ll experience from land, and on the clearest of days you can make out the South Island and the peaks of the Southern Alps. Or, looking north, gaze out over the Wairarapa Valley to the vineyards, farm country, and coastal panoramas which lie inland of the nation’s capital.

At the end of the tour you’ll land safely back on land in the center of Wellington, where you’re awarded with a new appreciate for how the city sits protected along this rugged stretch of coast.